The VN-701PC captures high-quality digital recordings in the Windows Media® Audio (WMA) file format. WMA files can be played on both Windows® and Macintosh® computers¹.

This recorder supports the insertion of Index Marks during recording and playback. These navigational cues are useful for quickly locating important content within a long recording. The recorder also features VCVA voice-activation technology, which extends recording time by recording only when the microphone senses sound.

Because the recorder is a Mass Storage Class device, no support software is required to download files to a supported computer. Just connect the device to the computer with the included USB cable, and the operating system will treat it as a USB flash drive. Files can also be uploaded from the computer to the recorder.

¹Note: On Windows systems, WMA files are supported natively by Windows Media Player and QuickTime Player®. To play WMA files in a Mac OS X environment, you must download a free helper application, Flip4Mac WMV Player. After doing so, any QuickTime-compatible media player will be able to play WMA files.

Index Marks are digital tags that can be inserted while recording or during playback. They are used to skip forward or backward in recordings to pre-selected points. Up to 99 index marks can be added to a single file. They are entered by pressing the [FOLDER/INDEX] button on the recorder.

Variable Control Voice Actuator (VCVA) is a function that configures the recorder to record automatically only when sound is detected at a pre-set level and to stop when the sound drops below the threshold level. The purpose of the function is to eliminate “dead air” during recordings, thereby conserving memory and shortening file times.

Because this recorder is a Mass Storage Class device, Windows® and Macintosh® operating systems treat it as an external hard drive. Files can be transferred between the recorder and the computer using standard drag and drop or copy and paste techniques. No additional software is needed to transfer the files.

Windows platforms can play recordings in the WMA (Windows Media Audio) format using Windows Media Player. To play the recordings on Macintosh platforms, it is necessary to download a program that supports the WMA format.

Telestream Inc.’s Flip4Mac® WMV Player, also known as Windows Media Components for QuickTime by Flip4Mac, enables WMA file playback in Apple Computer Inc.’s QuickTime™ Player. (Upgrading to QuickTime Player Pro will also enable editing of the WMA files.) For more information, please review these pages maintained by Microsoft and Telestream.

All of the files created by this recorder are compatible with the OLYMPUS SONORITY family of audio software: OLYMPUS Sonority, OLYMPUS Sonority Plus and OLYMPUS Sonority for Editors: Music. These applications offer a variety of archiving and editing functions, including joining and splitting files and converting recordings into other audio file formats, including those used by popular voice-recognition programs.

OLYMPUS Sonority Plus can be purchased online directly from The Olympus Online Store.

The length of potential recording time available in the VN-701PC is governed by the recording quality mode selected. The WMA 32 kbps mode recording uses more memory than the WMA 5 kbps quality mode recording because the 32 kbps mode makes a more-detailed digital record than does the 5 kbps mode.

The table below shows the approximate maximum recording times possible in each quality mode:

This recorder always records at 100% volume level to prevent accidentally recording with the volume set too low.

The recorder has two levels of microphone sensitivity:

High is a high-sensitivity level used for conferences and recording at a distance or low volume.

Low is a standard recording sensitivity level suitable for dictation.

Microphone sensitivity is set in the recorder menu. The Rec Scene function must be set to Off in order to use the Mic Sense function because the Rec Scene automatically selects the microphone sensitivity.

The playback volume is controlled using the [+] (Up) and [-] (Down) positions on the keypad on the recorder’s face. Pressing [+] increases the volume. Pressing [-] decreases the volume. The volume levels range from 00 to 30.

User Setting - Recording with menu settings saved by using [Register] in the [Rec Scene] menu setting. When [Register] is selected, current [Rec Menu] settings are saved in [User Settings] by pressing the [OK] button.

The File Lock function found in the File Menu is used to protect a file from accidental loss. Locked files cannot be erased using the [ERASE] function. However, locked files will be deleted if the recorder is formatted using the Format function.

To lock a file:

Press the [FOLDER/INDEX] button to select the folder containing the file.

Press the [] or [] button to select the file you wish to protect.

Press the Menu] button. The menu will be displayed, and [File Menu] will be highlighted.

Press the [OK] button. On the next screen, [File Lock] will be highlighted.

Press the [OK] button.

Press the [+] (Up) button to select Lock.

Press the [OK] button to lock the file.

Press the [STOP] button to exit the menu.

To unlock a file, use the same procedure but select [Unlock].

When the file is locked, a key icon appears in the upper center of the LCD when the protected file is selected.

The Format function removes all files from the recorder and returns its settings, except the time and date, to the factory defaults. Be certain important files are saved elsewhere before formatting the recorder. The procedure is as follows:

Press the [MENU] button to enter the Menu.

Press the [+] (Up) or [-] (Down) button to select Device Menu.

Press the [OK] button.

Press the [+] (Up) or [-] (Down) button to select [Format].

Press the [OK] button.

Press the [+] (Up) button to select [Start].

Press the [OK] button. The LCD shows [All data will be erased] for about two seconds and then displays [ARE YOU SURE?] [Cancel] will be highlighted.

Press the [+] (Up) button again to select [Start].

Press the [OK] button. All stored data, including locked files, will be removed.

Files deleted using the Format function cannot be retrieved.

The recorder should never be formatted using a computer. Doing so may corrupt the recorder’s firmware and render the device unusable.

Using the bundled USB cable, connect the VN-701PC to a computer running a supported operating system. On a Windows® platform, the recorder appears in My Computer as a removable disk drive named VN_701PC. On a Macintosh® platform, the recorder appears on the desktop as a drive named VN_701PC.

On a Windows computer, the files are accessed by double-left-clicking on the drive in My Computer and then double-left-clicking on a folder to display its contents. On a Macintosh computer, the files are accessed by double-clicking on the drive icon, which opens a window on the desktop screen, and then clicking on a folder to display the files.

In either environment, files can be transferred to any folder in the computer using the operating system’s standard copy and move procedures (e.g. drag and drop, cut and paste).

The recorder should not be disconnected from the computer simply by pulling the USB cord. Any device that uses a USB port to interface with a computer should be disconnected by first shutting down the USB connection between the device and the computer in order to prevent files from being corrupted.

On a Windows platform, the Safely Remove Hardware option found in the Taskbar in the lower right corner of the desktop screen should be used. Be sure to close any files before starting the procedure.

On a Macintosh platform, the drive icon on the desktop screen should be dragged to the Trash icon, or the EJECT button should be used. Wait for the icon to disappear from the desktop screen before disconnecting the USB cable.

To safely disconnect a digital voice recorder USB connection, do the following:

Windows - To safely disconnect the recorder (or ANY USB device) always use the Safely Remove Hardware function in the Taskbar in the lower right corner of the Desktop screen before disconnecting the USB cable from either the recorder or the computer.

Mac - To safely disconnect the recorder (or ANY USB device) always use either the EJECT button or drag the icon that represents the drive on the Desktop screen to the Trash before disconnecting the USB cable from either the recorder or the computer.

Failure to perform these operations correctly and consistently may result in corrupted files in the recorder's memory which may not be able to be played or retrieved.

Yes, recordings made with this recorder can be burned to audio and data CDs. When deciding which format to burn, here are some factors to take into account:

AUDIO CD - An audio CD should be playable in a portable, home or car CD player. Check if your burning software writes the CD using the Red Book audio CD standard, which is used in commercial audio CDs (PCM, 44.1 kHz sampling frequency, 16-bit, 2-channel). When burning a monaural recording, the burning software should write the monaural file to both stereo channels. An open CD may not play on audio CD players, so the CD must be closed by formatting. CD-RW discs are not recommended for creating audio CDs because some players cannot read the media.

DATA CD - Data CDs are suitable for archiving audio files for playback on a computer. CD-RW discs can be used for data CDs. The CD can be left open.

Yes. Because the recorder is a Mass Storage Class device, its built-in flash memory can be used like a USB flash drive to transfer data between computers. Text files, graphics, music and images form one system can be uploaded into the recorder's memory and then later downloaded to another system. The two computers do not need to be running the same operating system, but they do need to support the USB Mass Storage Device protocol.

The recorder uses native operating system drivers to interface with each computer. To the operating system, the device appears as an external hard drive. Double-clicking on the "drive" that represents the recorder causes the recorder's contents to be displayed in a window within the operating system's file-browsing application (e.g. My Computer for Windows®-based systems, Finder for Mac® systems). Files are transferred to and from the device using the operating system's standard copy and move procedures, such as drag and drop and cut and paste.

The data occupies space on the recorder's flash memory. Therefore, the device will have less capacity and recording time available to it when it is acting as a digital audio recorder. Files imported into the device will not be displayed on the LCD screen or in the menu because the device only recognizes files it creates. The device is only aware that "other data" is taking up space in its memory.

While the recorder is connected to a computer, files that were imported into the device may be safely removed by using the computer's file-browsing application to delete files from the "drive" displayed on the computer screen. However, files should not be removed by using the computer to format the "drive" that represents the device. Formatting the device this way may corrupt the device's firmware, rednering it non-functional.

Note:Virtually all commercial operating systems now have native support for the USB Mass Storage Device Class protocol, and older operating systems such as Windows 98 SE and Mac OS 8.5.1 can support it through third-party drivers. However, if the operating system does not support the file format of the transferred file, it will not be able to open or run the file.

When a recording session begins, a file is created to contain the incoming audio content. This file remains open throughout the session until the recording is manually stopped. If the recorder lasts longer than five minutes, the recorder will save the audio content at five-minute intervals.

If the batteries run out during a recording session, only the portion of the recording that has been saved will be available for retrieval. For example, if a recording session is interrupted by power loss at the 37th minute, the audio file of the recording will contain only the first 35 minutes worth of content. The remaining two minutes worth of content is not available because it was never saved to the file. In the case of recordings that are shorter than five minutes, the entire recording will be lost because the file is not able to close due to the lack of power.

It is crucial to change the battery once the battery indicator shows only one hash mark of power remaining. Removing the batteries while the recorder is in use may also corrupt a file.